Electric-cable coupling.



C. T. CROCKER.

ELECTRIC ABLE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, I915.

1,209,311 Patented Oct. 3,1916.

lm/entor Clarence T.Cr-ocker-,

Imam w 5 PETERS co.. PHOYOJJTMO" WASHING ruNI D, cv

UNITED STATES PATENT oEErcE.

cLAEENc 'r. GROCKER, or SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'ro GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC-CABLE COUPLING.

Application filed June 30, 1915. SerialNo. 37,153.-

To all whom it may concern; i Be it known that I, CLARENCE T. CRooKER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at,

Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric- Cable Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in electric cable couplers ofthe type com monly used on railway trains'for connecting the electric conductors between cars.

The invention relates particularly to an improvement of that type of electric couplers disclosed in the Patent No. 774,611 is-. sued to F. J. Sprague, November 8, 19,04, and its object is to provide means for readily engaging or disengaging the contacts of such couplers.

In couplers of the type disclosed in the above mentioned patent, especially suchcouplers as are provided with a multiplicity of plug and socket contacts, it has been found difficult for the trainmento readily seat the plug in the socket so as to force the contacts into proper engagement, andthe trainmen sometimes find it necessary to drive the;

plug member into placeby means of a coupling pin or other implement. It is then difficult to disengage the coupling members. My invention provides means whereby the contacts of the two coupling member smay mating couplers which member is adapted to be attached to a car body by means of the bolts 2; a plug member 3 is adaptedfor engagement with the socket member land is held in place by means of a cover 4 on the socket member 1 which serves as a latch between the two coupler members, which are provided respectively with plug and socket v contacts as described in the patent referred to above. plug members 3 are united by a length of cable for engaging and connecting the socket members 1 on the adjacent ends of two cars of a train. A yoke 5, the arms of In ordinary practice two of the which embrace and are pivoted on the socket member 1 at the points 6 and 6, is provided at one or bothends with a projection or projections 7 and these projections are operatively connected to pawl or clutch members 8 and 8, which are arranged for sliding engagement on the lugs 9 projecting from opposite. sides of the socket member 1 the Specification of Iietters Patent. Patented O t 3 1916 j pawls 8 and 8 being maintained in contact with the lugs 9 by the springs 10 and 10.

The pawls or clutches 8 and 8 project beyond the socket member '1 and'are provided near their outer ends with notches which engagegthe lugs 11 and 11 on the plug mem- To disengage the contacts of the two coupler members the handle5 on the yoke 5 is moved to the left which causes the pawls 8 and'8,sliding on the lugs 9, to force the plug member 3 outward until the inclined faces 12 on the pawls engage with the beveled faces of the lugs 9 which cause the pawls'to be liftedout of engagement with the lugslland 11-on the plug member 3. The parts are so proportioned that this disengagement of the pawls Sand .8; from the lugs 11 and 11" occursafter the contacts of the two coupler members become disengaged, after which the plug member 3 may be easily removed from the socket member.

in until the lugs 11 and 11 engage the beveled ends of the pawls 8 and 8 thereby raising the pawls against the pressure of the springs 10 and 10 until the lugs are engaged by the notches in the pawl members; this may be made to occur before or after the contacts of the two coupler members engage, then by moving the handle 5 to the right as shown in Fig. 1, the plug member 3 with its contacts are forced into place.

As illustrated in the drawings the pawl members and the cooperating ends 7 and 7 of the yoke member are inclosed and protected by the housing 13.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described and illustrated my invention as embodied in a preferred form, but it is evident that theinvention may be embodied in many different forms and I therefore aim, in the appended claims, to cover not only the specific arrangement of parts illustrated, but all modifications thereof that do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. An electric coupler comprising a pair of completely separable mating members provided with co-acting contacts, and means for forcing the contacts into engagement,

second coupler member adapted to be engaged by saidpawls.

3'; The combination with a pair of mating couplers of the" character described provided with co-ac ting contacts, of means for forcing the contacts into and" out of engagement, said means comprising sliding pawls mounted on opposite sides of one of the coupler members, a yoke member and operating handle for operating said pawls and projections on opposite sides of the sec ond coupler member adapted to be engaged by the pawls.

4. The combination with a pair of mating Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of- Patents,

couplers of the character described provided with co-actingcontacts, of means for forcing of mating members provided with co-acting contacts and means for engaging and disengaging the contacts comprising a yoke whichis pivoted on and embraces one of the coupler members, lugs projecting from each side of each of the'coupler members, a spring retracted pawl on each side of the coupler adapted forslidingmovement on the lugs of the coupler member on which the yoke is mounted, one end of each of said pawls being operatively connected to each end of the yoke, and the opposite end of each of the paw'ls provided with a suitable notch for engaging the lugs projecting from opposite sides of the second coupler member, and a handle as sociated with the yoke for operating the pawls.

In witness whereof, Ihave hereunto set o my hand this 28th day of June 1915.

. CLARENCE T. CROCKER.

Washington, D. 0. 

